Just curious if anyone has combined Wendler 531 with Dan John's mass made simple? I have seen an article in the past combining the two. It didn't go into detail and I can't seem to find it now. Just curious if anyone has tried and if so how was your setup and results?

[quote]kurtisj246 wrote:
Just curious if anyone has combined Wendler 531 with Dan John’s mass made simple? I have seen an article in the past combining the two. It didn’t go into detail and I can’t seem to find it now. Just curious if anyone has tried and if so how was your setup and results? [/quote]

Listen to Jim.

If you want my humble opinion as someone who has done MMS and had some good success with it and is now a diehard 5/3/1 guy, DON’T MIX THESE PROGRAMS. Dan’s program is very well thought out and is self-contained. That is, like 5/3/1 and Jim’s supplemental routines, all the components are set up to compliment and feed into each other.

MMS has more than enough volume to beat the absolute crap out of you. The high rep squats are murder. I wouldn’t toy with the program or add any more volume or weight than is already there. You’re already going to be doing presses, lots of heavy doubles and triples on your bench, etc. There’s really no need to try and tack anything on or think you can squeeze more out of it. The whole thing is set up around the high rep squats and eating more than you think you ought to.

MMS is designed to do a particular job: make you bigger. Hit it and quit it. Dan doesn’t suggest you do it for long or all that often. On the other hand, 5/3/1 is a set of principles that can be used for long-term programming to suit a lot of different goals. It’s a different sort of animal.

My advice: pick one and run it as written. Chart your results. Then run the other as written. Chart your results. Even then, I wouldn’t start writing my own hybrid program from the two. But you’ll be better prepared to make a choice as to where you might want to go next. As always, pick the right tool for the job and use it as intended.

A heavy bar across your back and peanut butter sandwiches in your belly: it's time to build mass the Dan John way!

That’s what I was talking about. Thanks Tokon. It’s funny how you read something , 3 months go by and u remember it totally different. Anytime I run across something Dan John or Jim Wendler writes I try and take a few minutes to read through it and let it soak in my slow brain. Haha

I see. Dan has replaced the bench/press/etc. work in the original Mass Made Simple with 5/3/1 reps and sets. The complexes and the back squat program look about the same. I recommend grabbing the original MMS e-book anyway because there’s some really good advice on how to survive the program in there.

My concern was that you were going to try to run some form of 5/3/1 alongside MMS in its complete form. That would be stupid, IMO.

Sorry for assuming you might be that silly. It’s amazing what you read around here.

Good luck with the program if you decide to go through with it. Eat like a fiend because those squats will knock your legs out from under you if you don’t.

It’s aimed at younger athletes and, being 38 when I tried it, I didn’t get anything near the sort of “10kg in 6 weeks” sort of effect some younger guys might, but it put a few good pounds on me in a hurry.

I might have a better time if I did it again because I think I have a better idea how to manage all the volume and recovery now.

I think I will just do a couple of rounds of wendler boring but big… save the MMS for this winter to change things up . I’m not looking forward to all the squats In MMS anyway. Lol. Thanks for the feedback guys.